Most of us are aware that it is not a good idea to be heavily dependent on dwindling oil supplies from foreign countries. By mixing ethanol with gasoline, dependency on foreign oil can be reduced. We should also reduce fuel consumption, which is the Biofriendly Corporation approach.
Before we look at the pros and cons of ethanol, let's take a quick look at what it is and how it is produced.
Ethanol is grain alcohol. It's the same type of alcohol you can buy at a liquor store, but in this context it is not for drinking, but for burning in automobile engines. In Brazil they make it from sugar cane, but in the U.S. it is generally made from corn. It can also be made from potatoes, wheat or other grains. The corn is ground to a pulp and with the addition of water, yeast and various enzymes is made to ferment, which turns the sugars into alcohol. The alcohol is then separated out by distillation. To prevent people from drinking the stuff, a small amount of gasoline is added.
Ethanol has been used as an engine fuel in some of the earliest automobiles, including the Model T Ford, which could run on either alcohol or gasoline. Most modern cars can run either on 100% gasoline or a mixture of 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol, often referred to as E10, without making any changes to the vehicle.
A fairly recent development is the so-called flex-fuel vehicle, which can run either on gasoline or a mixture of 85% alcohol and 15% gasoline (E85). While more and more flex-fuel vehicles are being produced, they are still a small proportion of the total number of vehicles on the road. Additionally, even fewer filling stations provide the E85 fuel mixture, so the vast majority of E85-compatible vehicles never get to run on anything other than gasoline.
So what are the pros and cons of ethanol?
Proponents say that producing more ethanol will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, provide a boost for Mid-West farmers and create jobs. Detractors say it takes more energy to produce the ethanol than it releases. Another factor is cost. Gasoline is cheaper. Ethanol production is heavily subsidized and even with the subsidies many ethanol farms have gone out of business. Perhaps the strongest argument from opponents is that it is impossible to provide enough ethanol to replace our gasoline consumption.
Even so, while ethanol is not the complete answer, it is a healthy sign that Americans are now searching for alternatives to the oil we are running out of. The problem to be solved is how to harness some of the energy that is all around us and use it effectively in a biofriendly manner. Cutting down on fuel consumption will give us more time to do that.
Biofriendly Corporation is doing something about alleviating these conditions as well. Their Green Plus® liquid fuel catalyst reduces harmful emissions from internal combustion engines and improves their fuel economy. Green Plus can be added to gasoline, diesel, biodiesel and ethanol-gasoline mixtures.
For more information about the Green Plus liquid fuel catalyst, visit the Biofriendly website at www.biofriendly.com. |
